Monday, April 21, 2014

It's 'the cycling' stupid!

According
to a new study, over 76,600 people could become employed by green
transportation businesses, and 10,000 lives would be saved, if major EU
cities adopted Copenhagen's bicycle sharing system. Nearly 50% of
Copenhagen's residents commute by bicyle to work or school. Out of all
city trips, 26% are undertaken by bike. This is only rivalled by
Amsterdam, in the Netherlands. The publication by the World Health Organisation's (WHO) Regional Office for Europe and UNECE, Unlocking new opportunities,
states for the first time that investing in green and healthy transport
is also economically profitable. Zsuzsanna Jakab, WHO Regional Director
for Europe, therefore urges governments to invest in the greener
transportation. “The pay-offs from these investments are enormous, and include new
jobs and healthier people from more physical activity, fewer road
traffic injuries, less noise and better air quality,” Jakab said. Since it discourages physical activity, transport
contributes to nearly 1 million deaths per year. In total, the costs
linked to unsustainable transport can be up to 4% of a country's GDP. Read on here & here.